a. Field
This disclosure relates to apparatuses and methods for attaching catheter shafts to handles. In particular, the instant disclosure relates to a mechanism for attaching a catheter shaft to a handle in a way which prevents or at least impedes the handle from being disassembled after being built.
b. Background Art
Electrophysiology catheters are used in a variety of diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical procedures to correct conditions such as atrial arrhythmia, including for example, ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter. Arrhythmia can create a variety of dangerous conditions including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions and stasis of blood flow which can lead to a variety of ailments and even death.
Typically in a procedure, a catheter is manipulated through a patient's vasculature to, for example, a patient's heart, and carries one or more electrodes which may be used for mapping, ablation, diagnosis, or other treatments. Once at the intended site, treatment may include radio frequency (RF) ablation, cryoablation, lasers, chemicals, high-intensity focused ultrasound, etc. An ablation catheter imparts such ablative energy to cardiac tissue to create a lesion in the cardiac tissue. This lesion disrupts undesirable electrical pathways and thereby limits or prevents stray electrical signals that lead to arrhythmias. As readily apparent, such treatment requires precise control of the catheter during manipulation and at the treatment site, which can invariably be a function of a user's skill level.
Prior practice for securing a catheter shaft to a catheter handle comprises using an adhesive with a strain relief or other component to couple the catheter shaft to the handle. The adhesive combined with the strain relief or other component can allow the catheter to be advanced, retracted, and torqued by the catheter handle.